Twitter finally grabs wheel, drives all twits into HTTPS

Cafe Wi-Fi tweeting protected from sniffing hackers

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Twitter has finally bedded down secure browsing on its site for all users after previously offering HTTPS as an optional feature.

In March last year it debuted the opt-in setting that enabled Secure Sockets Layer encryption, but explained at the time that the option would not be switched on by default.

The secure-browsing option also failed to be extended to users accessing Twitter via their mobile phones. A temporary work around was offered by the company, which involved users having to tap in the address https://mobile.twitter.com.

It's fair to surmise from all that fiddling that only canny or overly cautious types probably actually switched SSL on for Twitter, or were wise enough to use the site via the HTTPS address provided for mobile phones.

Others might wonder what took the company so long.

Twitter posted a brief statement on its blog explaining the switcheroo.

Last year, we added the option to always use HTTPS when accessing Twitter.com on the web. This setting makes your Twitter experience more secure by protecting your information, and it’s especially helpful if you use Twitter over an unsecured Internet connection like a public WiFi network.

Now, HTTPS will be on by default for all users, whenever you sign in to Twitter.com. If you prefer not use it, you can turn it off on your Account Settings page. HTTPS is one of the best ways to keep your account safe and it will only get better as we continue to improve HTTPS support on our web and mobile clients.

Last week, social-networking-for-suits outfit LinkedIn confirmed it too was finally offering SSL to its users. It said that for now the option would not be switched on by default for all users of that site. ®